Sure, great lighting and clever camera angles have something to do with it, but that's not the whole story. "Onscreen, characters pursue their fantasies, but in real life, we stick with what we know works," says marriage and sex therapist Jane Greer, Ph.D. "But the truth is, by livening things up a little bit and taking even the smallest of risks together, sex can become much more mysterious, powerful and passionate." So in the interest of rocking your world -- and his -- more often, come take a look at these seven lessons to be learned from cinema's hottest love scenes.

Set an Oscar-Worthy Scene

"Movie sex scenes are orchestrated down to the very last detail -- as spur-of-the-moment as a scene may look, the location is always just perfect, the lighting, the works," says film critic and author Molly Haskell. Granted, you probably don't live on the French Riviera, but that doesn't mean you can't create a highly charged erotic mood in your own home.

Look at your bedroom with a sex-obsessed eye. "If it doesn't relate to sleeping or sex, get it out of there," advises Sharyn Wolf, marriage and sex therapist and author of How Lovers Stay Lovers for Life. None of Sharon Stone's characters would make love in a bedroom cluttered with bills, a Thighmaster and photos of Mom, and neither should you. Boudoir staples really do work -- satin sheets, flickering candles and filmy curtains swirling in the breeze (much sexier than miniblinds). "Men adore those trappings," says Wolf. "It's as if they've been invited into a woman's love den." (Hint: Don't forget your own wardrobe. A black lace bra or garter belt works wonders.)

Also, don't overlook the power of a hedonistic tryst in another location. "One great experience of having sex in a bathtub surrounded by candles can make you feel excited, adventurous and romantic for a long time," says psychologist and sex therapist Lonnie Barbach, Ph.D., author of Turn-ons: Pleasing Yourself While You Please Your Lover. "The planning is worth it, 100 percent.

Love Him Tender

"The movie scenes women find most exciting are about emotional connection and gazing into each other's eyes," says Jami Bernard, film critic and author of Chick Flicks. Given that the average American couple communicates for only 17 minutes a week, you probably don't spend a lot of time looking adoringly into each other's eyes -- but this is a major way to create a very bonded, almost worshipful feeling (think about the way Patrick Swayze looked at Demi Moore in Ghost). Try this at home, says Sherry Lehman, marriage and sex therapist and creator of the 7 Days to a Better Love Life program: Hold your husband's face between your hands, look into his eyes, then kiss his eyelids, nose and cheeks, and run your fingertips over them. "It's an absolutely delicious way to connect in just a few moments," says Lehman.

Take this loving attention a step further and explore each other's bodies in search of new erogenous zones. "Go on a touch journey," says Lehman. "Run your fingertips over each other's bodies, from the scalp, to behind the ears and on down. Maybe you'll discover that he loves to have his back scratched or that your shoulders are incredibly sensitive." Plus, there's something about lovingly exploring each and every inch of skin that says you're drinking in the other person's essence.

Plan to Be Spontaneous

It's an oxymoron, but don't let that throw you. "Movie sex revolves around that mysterious moment when two characters come together -- the surprise, the strangeness, the thrilling newness of that first encounter," says Haskell. Think of the impromptu hot-and-heavy interlude between Michael Douglas, Glenn Close and the kitchen sink in Fatal Attraction, and you've got the picture.

Problem is, in good, upstanding married life, newness isn't easy to come by. You have to find ways to rid your minds -- and bodies -- of habit. "Anything that shakes up your routine makes sex feel more spontaneous and exotic," says Dr. Greer. Her suggestion? Ignore your usual sex clock. When the kids are having dinner at a friend's, make love before you eat, not after (besides, it's more fun when you're not worried about dirty dishes). Or set the alarm early, shower, ask him to dry you off and see if you can resist each other.

Another ploy: Change your pattern of seduction. Be bold. Next time you're in the kitchen together cleaning up, scoot up onto the counter, pull your guy over, wrap your legs around him, plant one on him and see where it leads. (Bonus points for those who conquer the dining room table.)

Trying different positions can also give sex that hot feeling of discovery. Why not try standing up? Almost nothing makes you feel as overwhelmed by lust as a quickie against a wall (think The English Patient or Sea of Love). Pick a moment (don't tell him) and pounce. "Give him a hot, wet kiss, rub your body against his and say, 'How about right here?'" suggests Olivia St. Claire, author of Unleashing the Sex Goddess in Every Woman. If his reaction doesn't make you feel like a sex symbol, nothing will.

Make the "Previews" Last

"When you come right down to it," says Haskell, "we don't usually see all that much actual sex onscreen. It's often just about slow-burning buildup. The tension grows and grows till there's finally that moment of surrender, and nothing is more exciting than that."

To get that same effect at home, after you've surrendered to each other, oh, a couple of thousand times already, you need to slow things down, says Lehman. One of the best ways to do this is with passionate kissing, which tends to be hard to squeeze in after work, feeding the kids dinner and watching TV. So if you've seen more of Tom Cruise's lip-work onscreen this year than your husband's at home, go to a swanky -- or at least dark and smoky -- bar, and rediscover the simple pleasures of making out in the shadows of a public place. Repeat this kind of kissing in your bedroom whenever possible.

When it's time to undress, do it with drama. Drum up extra yearning by taking off each other's clothes, as slowly as you can stand it. Think about how Kevin Costner grabbed one end of Whitney Houston's scarf in The Bodyguard and pulled it off her neck. It's that kind of provocative gesture that can give a body goose bumps all over.

If you really want to play hardball and whip up the kind of "can't wait to rip your clothes off" sexual frenzy of movies like Basic Instinct, declare a sex boycott, says Lehman. Avoid intercourse for whatever you consider a long time. Present your plan to your husband and keep reminding him how good it will feel. And when the night comes, push his hands away as he reaches for key zones or tease him by performing oral sex until he thinks he's about to die, then turn your attention to a more neutral area, like his neck. By the time the two of you actually do the deed, it may well be as overwhelming and memorable as the first time you made love.

Play the Hot Babe

"Some of the raciest sex scenes come from the chemistry of a clean-cut guy and a saucy, sexually knowing woman," says Haskell, pointing to such pairings as Kevin Costner and Sean Young in No Way Out and Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay in Risky Business. Indeed, filmdom's femmes fatales are always revved up and ready to roll into bed. "Men love that. It tells them a woman is totally comfortable with and confident in her sexuality," says Lehman. Even if you're not hardwired to act this way, there are plenty of little ways to unleash the sex symbol within and leave your guy feeling blissfully ravished.

For starters, flirt with him. Try girlie moves like twirling your hair or stroking your neck. A sexy movie diva adores being touched, what with her sensitive nerve endings and all, and knows how to wordlessly tell a man exactly where she wants his hands on her body. You can also pull a "clumsy little me" move and ask for his help putting on your bra and shirt; he'll be all hands.

Another classic seduction tactic: Talk the talk. "Women in movies talk erotically, and men crave that," says Lehman. Maybe you want to take a cue from Debbie, a housewares buyer in Denver, who recalls, "One night when we were going out to dinner, I told him that later my dress would stay on, the underwear would come off, and the rest was up to him. Trust me, he was inspired."
Go for the sound effects in bed. "Men absolutely love hearing women sigh and moan -- it's the essence of sexual abandon," says Lehman. "Don't be afraid to force it a little -- the results will be positively explosive."

Flirt with the Forbidden

"Onscreen sex scenes tend to get really hot when they depict something kinky -- our fantasies of being raunchy and uninhibited," says Bernard. Maybe you can relate. Did you get a thrill out of the scene in Something Wild where Melanie Griffith breaks out the handcuffs? Then it's time to make your husband your partner in crime. Try the beginner version: Have him loosely tie your wrists with a silk or velvet scarf. You'll discover how big a turn-on -- and bonding agent -- the suggestion of danger can be.

Or, tap your exhibitionist streak. In elevators, in swimming pools, at parties...is there anywhere movie characters haven't made love? "That risqué, reckless feeling of 'We might get caught, but who cares?' is a very powerful fantasy," says St. Claire. But, she points out, no one's saying you actually have to do the deed in full public view. Linda, a college curriculum director, loves playing the reckless temptress: "After going out to dinner with my husband, we'll kiss in the car in the parking lot. I'll slide his hand under my shirt without flashing any skin. Then we'll drive home to continue things in private."

Feed the fantasy in bed -- with food. Eat strawberries, caviar or Belgian chocolates out of each other's hands for a sensual treat. Or be blunt and rub a little honey on your shoulders or thighs and have him lick it off.

If you're really up for adventure, you might want to indulge in some bad-girl role playing. "It's boring to act the same way all the time -- in daily life and in bed," says Dr. Barbach. So channel the spirit of Sharon Stone and playfully bully him in bed or pull him into a slightly anonymous position -- say, his entering you while standing behind you. There's something about that bossy-vixen thing that's likely to leave both of you breathless.

Go to (Loving) Extremes

Lastly, don't overlook the sexual thrills that can be found not in spice but in the sweetest pampering. Take the time, every few months or so, to treat him to a five-star, nurturing, sensual experience. Indulge him with a real, hot breakfast and offer to shave him, Dr. Greer suggests. Or re-spin that famous scene in Bull Durham and delight him with an all-nude his-and-hers pedicure. Who knew that tender pampering rituals could segue so easily into red-hot sex? Try it for yourself, and you'll see it doesn't only happen in the movies.